1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an outside door handle device for a vehicle and, more particularly, to an outside door handle device for a vehicle, which has a reduced number of parts so as to obtain weight-reduction and cost-saving, as well as providing an easy assembly between a door handle, a handle base, and a balance weight.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, an outside door handle device for a vehicle is a door latch device that is used by a user to open a door from outside of a vehicle. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, such an outside door handle device includes a handle base 1 fixedly mounted to a door panel, a base lever 3 which is rotatably coupled at one side thereof to the handle base 1 by means of a stationary shaft 2, a door handle which is rotatably fitted into the stationary shaft 2 at a handle hinge 4a on one side thereof, and is fitted into a mounting screw 3a of the base lever 3 at a handle lever 4b on the other side thereof, and a balance weight 8 which is elastically rotatably coupled to the handle base 1 via a balance shaft 5 and a torsion spring 6 while being connected with a door latch via a cable 7, such that, when the base lever 3 rotates, the balance weight rotates about the balance shaft 5 so as to actuate the door latch through the cable 7.
Thus, according to the conventional structure, when a user unlocks the door handle device and pulls the door handle 4, the door handle 4 rotates about the handle hinge 4a coupled to the stationary shaft 2 so that the handle lever 4b draws the base lever 3. Then, the base lever 3 rotates about the stationary shaft 2 so as to rotate the balance weight 8 to cause the cable 7 to be drawn and thus the door latch to be actuated, thereby opening the door of a vehicle.
However, such a conventional outside door handle device has a drawback in that, since the device is configured such that the operation of the door handle 4 does not directly actuate the balance weight 8, which actuates the door latch, but via the base lever 3, so that the manipulation force of the door handle 4 is transmitted to the balance weight 8 through the base lever 3, operative responsiveness of the balance weight 8 is not good when the door handle is manipulated.
Further, the use of the base lever 3 problematically increases the number and weight of parts as well as the manufacturing cost.
Further, the conventional structure is such that the handle lever 4b of the door handle 4 is coupled with the mounting screw 3a of the base lever 3 within a narrow working space, so that it is inconvenient to perform an assembly process.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.